Ivy Tech Chancellor Chris Lowery 14th president to sign Compact

Ivy Tech Chancellor Chris Lowery signs compact to commit the Columbus/Southeast Region to serving its communities while preparing students as future leaders

The Compact is a values statement and formal commitment of Indiana college and universities to their communities and can be read in its entirety below.

Chancellor Lowery signed the compact on November 9, 2015. He is the 14th Indiana Campus Compact partner president or chancellor to make the formal commitment. He joins Indiana State University President Daniel Bradley, IUPUI Chancellor Charles Bantz, Indiana University Northwest Chancellor William Lowe, Valparaiso University President Mark Heckler, Anderson University President John Pistole, Indiana University East Chancellor Kathryn Cruz-Uribe, Purdue North Central Chancellor James Dworkin, and Indiana University Southeast Chancellor Ray Wallace who signed the Compact at the Indiana Campus Compact Service Engagement Summit last March as part of the Commitment Celebration.

Marian University President Daniel Elsener signed the Compact in May, Ball State University President Paul Ferguson and DePauw University President Brian Casey signed the Compact in September, and University of Indianapolis President Robert Manuel and Ivy Tech Lafayette Chancellor David Bathe signed in October. In total, 35 presidents and chancellors representing 60 partner campuses will sign the compact this year. Indiana Campus Compact Executive Director J.R. Jamison will meet with partner presidents and chancellors in the coming year to provide them an opportunity to sign the compact.

“Higher education provides substantial opportunities for individuals to develop the sound judgment, confidence, and thoughtfulness necessary for meaningful community service,” Lowery said. “By committing to The Compact, Ivy Tech joins our partner institutions around the state in preparing students to successfully engage in and advance their communities.”

2014-2015 Indiana Campus Compact Board Chair and IU Northwest Chancellor William J. Lowe led the effort to write the Compact and said at the Celebration last March, “The Commitment Celebration and the public signing of a compact showcased how we, as college and university presidents and chancellors, are dedicated to reciprocal partnerships in and with our communities. As we head toward Indiana Campus Compact’s 25th anniversary and prepare to unveil a new five-year Strategic Plan, we cannot think of a better time to collectively sign on to this public commitment.”

The Compact reads:

As a partnership of presidents and chancellors from Indiana’s public and private colleges and universities, we agree to be an active collective that challenges all of higher education to continuously re-envision its role in and with the communities that we serve, for the public good.

We will work as agents of change to advance citizenship and service as critical components of the higher learning experience, so that our students graduate aswell-informed, engaged and productive members of society, who are fully enabled to provide leadership and service that advances the public good in their communities.

It is through our compact that we agree to promote, support and advance the work of campus and community engagement in the dynamic environment of 21st-Century society.

“Indiana Campus Compact works as an agent of change on behalf of its member campuses to advance citizenship and service as critical components of the higher learning experience: connecting their intellectual growth, knowledge of their disciplines and vocations, and their commitments to the greater good,” says Executive Director J.R. Jamison.

Formed in 1993, Indiana Campus Compact is the only organization in the state that works with public, independent, and two-year institutions of higher education. The Compact is made up of colleges and universities dedicated to engaged teaching and learning, the kind of learning that stays with students as they transition into life after college.

Indiana Campus Compact invests in its partner campuses through training, grants, and the professional network it provides for faculty, staff, and students. Through that support, Indiana campuses partner with community agencies to make a difference for tens of thousands of community members each year. Last year we invested nearly $475,000 in our members through grants and trainings. Our staff develops high quality programs to enrich the service engagement work of our member faculty, staff, and students.